PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE:
CHALLENGING CONGRESS TO INVEST MORE IN EDUCATION
July 28, 1999

Today, in his address to the 1999 classes of Girls and Boys Nation,
President Clinton will call on Congress to invest more in education and
will announce new Administration estimates of the severe long-term
impact on education of the Republican tax and budget plans. President
Clinton also will threaten to veto any tax bill failing to leave room
for adequate investments in education.

The President will emphasize that the risky, expensive Republican tax
and budget could force devastating cuts in key initiatives to reduce
class size, support after-school programs, help children read well, keep
schools safe and drug-free, and expand access to college. He will urge
Congress instead to enact a responsible tax plan targeted to help
communities modernize schools and help families finance their
retirement, child care, and long-term care while saving Social Security
and Medicare, and leaving room for vital investments in education and
defense.

REPUBLICAN TAX BILL SQUEEZES OUT FUNDING FOR EDUCATION. The President
will announce new Administration estimates of the long-term impact of
the Republican tax and budget plans on key investments needed to improve
our public schools and expand access to college. These estimates assume
defense funding at the President's requested level and pay down of the
debt by as much as Republicans promise. In the tenth year alone of the
Republican tax plan, the nation could be forced to:

Deny 5.9 million children in high-poverty communities academic
support under the Title I program. Title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act currently provides much-needed academic support
to 12 million children in high-poverty communities, and the President
has proposed important reforms to make sure they master the basics and
reach high standards. The Republican plan goes in the opposite
direction and could reduce the number of children served by this program
to pre-1992 levels.

Deny 480,000 children the assistance they need to learn to read. The
Reading Excellence program currently provides funding that will help one
million children learn to read independently and well by the end of the
3rd grade. Under the Republican budget and tax plans, 480,000 fewer
children could get the help they need to learn to read.

Deny smaller classes to more than a million young children in the
early grades. The Republican plans could deprive more than one million
students of the opportunity to learn in smaller classes in the early
grades. Last year, a bipartisan agreement was reached to make a down
payment on the President's plan to hire 100,000 teachers to reduce class
size in the early grades to a nationwide average of 18, and earlier this
month the U.S. Education Department awarded funds to help local school
districts hire 30,000 teachers before school starts this fall. While the
President wants to finish the job and hire 100,000 teachers, the
Republican tax and budget plans could force cuts from current levels by
more than half. And just last week, a narrow majority in the House even
voted for a bill the President has pledged to veto, which would remove
the guarantee that any class size reductions will be achieved at all.

Deny early childhood and preschool services to 430,000 kids. Head
Start currently provides early childhood and preschool services to
835,000 students. The Republican plan could deny 430,000 children
access to this essential support.

Deny 215,000 students the after-school and summer school programs
they need. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program
currently provides funding to help provide after-school and summer
school programs to about 400,000 students in safe and enriching academic
environments. While the President wants to nearly quadruple this number
to 1.5 million, the Republican budget and tax plans would reduce it by
215,000 students.

Slash funding for children with disabilities. Special Education
could be cut by $3.4 billion by the tenth year of the tax cut, severely
limiting the federal contribution to programs that help children with
disabilities.

Deny local school districts vital support to build and modernize 5400
public schools across the nation. The President's targeted tax cut
would cover the interest on state and local efforts to build and
modernize 6,000 public schools across the nation. The Republican tax
cut provides marginal help to address the needs of only one-tenth that
many schools. The President's proposal to rebuild our public schools
could be fully funded using about 1% of the Republican tax cut approved
by the House.

Cut violence and drug prevention programs. By the tenth year of the
Republican tax cut, Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities funding
would be reduced by nearly $334 million. This is less than half of the
$696 million that would be invested in violence and drug-prevention
under current spending patterns. Republican plans could also slash
funding for crisis counseling and increased security in schools
experiencing violent incidents, such as the recent tragic shootings in
Littleton, Colorado and Conyers, Georgia.

Make college less affordable for nearly 4 million low and
middle-income students by slashing Pell Grants. The Pell Grant program,
which benefits nearly 4 million students, would have its maximum grant
level slashed to $2175, the lowest level since 1987. This would be a
sharp cut from the $3850 which would otherwise be reached by FY2009
under current spending patterns, and it would deny low-and middle-income
students critical financial aid to make college more affordable.

Deny nearly 500,000 students the opportunity to work their way
through college. The Work-Study program currently helps approximately
930,000 low and middle-income students work their way through college.
Nearly 500,000 students could be denied access to this program under
Republican tax and budget plans.

Deny nearly 500,000 disadvantaged students the extra guidance and
support they need to prepare for college. Under the Republican plan,
nearly 500,000 young people would not get the extra support they need to
prepare for college through the GEAR-UP and TRIO programs. GEAR-UP is a
nationwide initiative to help about 180,000 low-income middle and high
school students receive academic and support services to prepare for
college. About 41,000 fewer students could receive these service under
the Republican plans. The President has proposed doubling funding for
this program. TRIO provides counseling and educational support for
725,000 students nationwide, but the Republican plans could deny 400,000
students access to this crucial support.

Deny hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young people the summer
jobs and job training they need to succeed. Under the Republican plan,
329,000 fewer disadvantaged students would get the education, training,
and summer jobs they need. Sixty-two out of 118 Job Corps centers could
be forced to close, taking away job training from 21,000 disadvantaged
youth, and more than 26,000 thousand students in high-poverty
communities would be denied access to education, training, and
employment assistance through Youth Opportunity Grants.